Welcome to the Cockeysville Lacrosse Program. Cockeysville Lacrosse is rich with tradition and history. Did you know that Cockeysville has produced more DI, DII & DIII All-Americans than any other rec program in the country?

You can be part of that tradition and history. We have opportunities for all ages and abilities!!!

It feels like the ink is barely dry on the Spring 2018 season and here we are ready to get things moving for Spring 2019! We are excited to announce our 2019 Program Vision and as much detail as possible for each individual age group, but we also want to give you an update on the state of the program in general. We encourage you to read this message in its entirety, as it contains valuable information about spring lacrosse for your son and your family.

Whether you are a returning family or are new to the sport, this is a great time to be part of the Cockeysville Boys Lacrosse Family!

Sean Kammer and Joel Tolentino will continue as the Executive leadership for the program in 2019. Individual age division commissioners/coordinators will be announced as soon as is practicable.

The 2018 spring season was very successful for Cockeysville Boys Lacrosse as a program. For the first time in a decade, our registration numbers increased, by 15%. Not only were players coming to Cockeysville from other programs, but we were able to restore U13 Midget to the program! This is a trend that we hope will continue. Our numbers at U9 Tyker were flat year over year, which is a win in and of itself. U11 Lightning numbers increased year over year, to the point where we had two very full rosters. Our challenge in 2019 will be to continue our success at the U9-U13 age levels, but also to grow the numbers in U7 Clinic and U6 Pockets. We are also launching an effort to restore U15 Junior play to the program.

Cockeysville was able to field successful teams in their respective MYLA Divisions. Our U13 Midget team captured the first MYLA championship in a long time and was a semi-finalist in the Lax Splash tournament. One of our U11 Lightning teams made the finals in their bracket in the MYLA championships as well as Lax Splash. In Tyker, we had two very competitive MYLA teams with the Tyker C team capturing a Lax Splash Championship. Overall, every one of our travel teams were very competitive within their divisions.

Additionally, our Indoor 2018 season is off to a fantastic start at the U7-U13 age divisions. Our numbers for indoor are a huge win for Cockeysville Boys Lacrosse. We are currently sitting at 108 registered players! To put that in perspective in 2016, there were 36 registered indoor participants, and 69 in 2017. Indoor is increasing in popularity amongst our core Cockeysville players, and we are also attracting talent from other channels for the fall season. We welcome this trend, as it has proven to be a way to get more teams and boys on the field, and it has shown some effectiveness in retaining and recruiting players into the regular season.

We will continue to recruit and advertise the program, and fine tune things to maintain numbers and create a better experience. Let’s now take a moment to talk about overall program details and design for 2019.

Program cost is always the subject of much debate. In the world of rec sports, cost is a function of program registration numbers as well as the individual age group program design. We anticipate no cost increases for U6 Pockets. U7, U9, U11, and U13 costs may increase modestly to account for increases in league fees, referee fees, tournaments and the cost of the raw materials of lacrosse. There are a lot of variables that are more difficult to peg, but we believe we have the pricing set right to provide a whole experience for our players and families.

We are keenly aware that family budgets are always tight and we are committed to keeping the cost of the program as low as possible without sacrificing valuable tools that assist us in providing a solid experience for your players. We are certain that our program will be priced competitively versus other programs of similar size while providing a great local rec league experience for your son(s). Our family cost caps for families with multiple players remain in place.

Uniforms for 2019 will be unchanged, so if your son has a serviceable uniform, you need not make additional uniform purchases. The uniform cost for 2019 is projected to increase by approximately $5-10 for 2019 to account for simple cost inflation. Our price for a full 5-piece (Jersey, Shorts, Pinnie, Shooter, Socks) uniform set is still a tremendous value in lacrosse, and we are continuing with Ace Sportswear as our provider for 2019. They have proven to be an effective uniform and spirit wear partner, and willing to work with us and our Cockeysville families.

One of the budget line items that we had to consider for 2019 are the goals at Padonia Elementary and County Home Park. During the season, we typically place the goals on the fields and they stay there for the duration of the season. Due to use (and abuse) by local residents not participating in lacrosse, we have to find a new way on this for 2019. We are considering lighter low-cost goals that can be moved and locked up at the end of practices or purchasing equipment that will make moving those goals to a secure location more practicable. This is a modest expense that has been factored into the budget for 2019.

We are in the process of securing time at Meadowood turf over the winter months that can be used for a variety of purposes. Our skills and drills sessions at Meadowood in 2018 were well attended and allowed us to more accurately profile the talent level going into the spring season. We have other options including indoor facility time within the rec footprint but also there is budget for limited indoor facility rental should the prevailing weather conditions dictate.

Now we will focus in on each age level.

U6 Pockets

Pockets will continue as a co-ed non-contact introductory program. Fun and fundamentals are the focus. We will practice one day per week at Mays Chapel Elementary, with one weekend practice/scrimmage event. Costs for this program will be priced no higher than $60 and include a basic jersey for every player.

U7 Clinic

Clinic will continue as the boys first experience playing field lacrosse in full gear. We ease them into the world of competitive lacrosse by focusing almost entirely on fundamental skills. Players will need to have full field gear, and a basic uniform that is purchased outside of program dues. Practices will be 1-2 per week at Mays Chapel Elementary, plus a weekend game. Games will continue as an inter-league “travel-like” experience. We have teamed up with programs like MLC, Carroll Manor, and Perry Hall to expose the boys to more diverse, and fresh competition through the season. Feedback from the parents in 2018 was very positive, and our boys had a lot of fun. We are projecting 3-4 Clinic teams at this time. One possible new addition to this program may be official referees. We are coordinating with the other local rec programs to iron this out.

U9 Tyker

Tyker will continue in 2019 as an all-travel format. We expect to field a minimum of 3 teams. We have multiple options for appropriate competition level based on turnout and talent profiles. In 2018, we tried something called “CarBalCo” which required some travel to places in Carroll County, which we are eliminating for 2019. We have paired up with the same local programs as in Clinic to create a closer in-house replacement travel league.

Our players with higher skill levels and athleticism will be selected onto an appropriate MYLA travel team. The specific team alignments (A,B,C, and Club) will be determined based on player ability and team profiles. If, based on talent profiles we field teams at the newly formed MYLA Club level divisions (2029 and up) there may be additional costs per player that are rendered after team formation. This additional cost is purely accountable to increased referee fees, as Club level teams will play in a league that has two referees using modified NCAA rules. The add-on cost per player will be approximately $45. This additional cost provides a club-format season without the significant higher cost of participating in a private club program.

All MYLA players will participate in at least one post-season tournament (Lax Splash), and additional tournament play will be determined by the commissioner, coaches and board. Practices are offered twice a week, with one weekend game when the season commences. Practices and most home games are held at Padonia Elementary.

U11 Lightning

Lightning will also continue as an all-travel program for 2019. We anticipate a minimum of 2 teams, and we are excited to say that we have a non-parent coach who is willing to coach a third team should numbers dictate. Practices will be offered twice a week, with one game each week when the MYLA season gets underway. Practices are held at County Home and/or Padonia Elementary, with home games being at the same location(s). Sunday play and post season tournament play will be determined by the final program profile.

As with Tyker, there is the possibility that we field at least one team in the newly formed MYLA Club division. If we have the talent profile for any of these teams (2027 Grade 4 and/or 2026 Grade 5), there will be an additional cost to participate in these leagues. The add-on cost will be approximately $45. As with Tyker, this additional cost provides a club-format season without the significant higher cost of participating in a private club program.

U13 Midget

Early registration is absolutely critical for this program. If you are a returning player, do not delay in registration. We will be looking to field one team of up to 20 rostered players at the U13 Midget level, and will be placed into an appropriate MYLA division, and we are looking at our options for Sunday play. One tournament has been priced into the program, with additional opportunities to be determined by the board, coaches and parents. Two practices per week will be held at County Home Park plus one game per week in the MYLA travel league.

U15 Junior

Cockeysville is going to make a push to assemble one Junior team. Any 8th or 9th grader (non-varsity) may participate. We are excited to announce that we have secured a non-parent head coach for this role and at least one assistant coach.

It is absolutely essential that if you are a parent of an eligible Junior (8th or 9th grade non-varsity) player that you sign up immediately. There will be two practices per week at County Home and at minimum Saturday MYLA play. We are also pricing in one post season tournament. We are hopeful that we can restore Junior level play to the program, but it is incumbent upon our parents and players to sign up ASAP. We will make our go/no-go decision on this before the end of the year.

When you sign up for Junior, there is a $0 fee. We will add the charge for the team ($225.00) once we have achieved a minimum number of players to field a team.

Closing Notes

We are looking ahead with high hopes for 2019 at Cockeysville Lacrosse and a sense of excitement. We need our Cockeysville families to share in that effort and help us turn energy into results. What should you do?

Sign your sons up ASAP. Our go/no-go decisions on individual teams and programs are determined by early numbers. We believe that we are giving you every reason to Stick With The Best in 2019!

Recruit a friend, even if they have never played lacrosse before.

Stay tuned for updates.

To close, we are also issuing a call to action. Volunteers are the core of everything we do. Everything from Team Moms/Dads, Coaches, Commissioners to board level roles are all filled by adults who have a passion for lacrosse, youth sports and leadership.

We will have a pre-season meeting in early November (November 7th to be exact) that is open to all returning volunteers, but also to new faces. Whether you played lacrosse or not matters none. What matters is your ability to accept a challenge. You are helping the youth of our community and creating a better experience for everyone. If you are a new volunteer and interested in being a part of this meeting and contributing in 2019, please reply to this email.